Shoe sewing machines



Original Filed Aug. 28, 1959 Inventors Harry B. Fake Leonard S Curtz'nFatented Nov. 2%, 1932 3 Claims. (Cl. 112-62) This invention relates toimprovements in shoe sewing machines constructed and arranged to inserta seam around the lower portion of an upper along a line located inuniformly spaced relation and close to the crease between the upper andthe welt, in the case of a Goodyear welt shoe, or appearing between theupper and the outsole after completion of a non-welt shoe. A shoe havingsuch a seam is illustrated and described in a prior copendingapplication for United States Letters Patent, Serial No. 836,693, filedAugust 28, 1959, now Patent No. 3,025,544, granted March 20, 1962, inthe same names as the present application, of which prior applicationthis application is a division.

The ability securely and uniformly to locate such a seam is advantageousfor structural and ornamental reasons and has recently become importantsince provision of such a seam has gained considerable vogue as a stylecharacteristic. As heretofore practiced, such seams have merely beensewn through the upper prior to the attachment of a welt, or prior tothe attachment of an outsole on a non-welt shoe at a distance from aline defining a crevice between the welt and the upper or defining anangular break in the upper about the shoe bottom. Under currentprocedure, the insertion'of the stitches in a uniform row around theshoe and at a uniform distance from the crevice or break line of thelasted shoe is entirely dependent upon the skill and judgment of theoperator of the sewing machine.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improvedlockstitch sewing machine capable of inserting a seam uniformlypositioned relative to a welt, in the case of a Goodyear welt shoe, orthe bottom break line angle of the upper in the case of a non-welt shoe,and securely inserted through the portion of the upper which overliesthe edge face of the insole, through the insole, and into the channelbetween the rib and the in sole, said improved lockstitch sewing machinehaving stitch forming instrumentalities including a curved hook needle,work supporting means adapted to engage within the channel between therib and the insole to maintain the shoe against the thrust of theneedle, and guide means adapted to engage the bulging last supportedportion of the shoe upper thereby to clamp the Work against the worksupporting means and to enable the shoe to be guided relatively to thestitch forming devices in a manner such as to maintain the break line ofthe upper in a shoe, at a generally uniform distance from the operatingpoint of the needle, thereby insuring insertion of the stitches in aneffective manner.

The above and other features of the invention, including novelcombinations of parts and details of construction will now be describedby reference to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointedout in the claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a detail View in front elevation of the stitch forminginstrumentalities of a lockstitch sewing machine fitted in accordancewith the invention for sewing a seam around the lower portion of a shoeupper;

FIG. 2 is a detail view in side elevation of the parts shown in FIG. 1,the shoe being shown in cross-section.

FIG. 3 is a perspective detail View on an enlarged scale of a worksupport and a presser foot of the machine shown in FIG. 1 in properco-operative relation with a needle in the machine to guide theinsertion of an effective seam in a shoe;

FIG. 4 is a View in cross section of a portion of an alternate non-weltshoe design which can be produced by utilization of the improved lockstitch sewing machine, said shoe consisting of an upper temporarilysecured in lasted position to a detachable rib and subsequently securedto the insole by a seam sewn by the machine of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a view of the shoe shown in FIG. 4 after removal of thetemporary rib and attachment of an outsole;

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of a welted shoe, the upper ofwhich has been secured in lasted position by a chain stitch seam to atwo-ply rib attached to an unchanneled insole, and further united to theinsole by a lock stitch seam sewn by means of the improved sewingmachine, the shoe having been completed by attaching an outsole; and

FIG 7 is a section along the line VII-VII of FIG. 3.

The improved sewing machine disclosed herein has stitch forming devicesincluding a curved hook needle 50, a work support member or table,generally indicated by the reference numeral 56, and a presser foot 58having a lip 63 integral therewith. The machine is substantially thesame, except for the improved work support and presser foot describedherein, as that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,271,611,granted February 3, 1942, upon application of Fred Ashworth et al., andhas a looper 52 (FIG. 2) and a loop taker or shuttle 54 (FIG. 1) inaddition to other stitch forming devices.

The novel work support member or table 56 is formed with a work-engagingsurface 60 adapted to act in opposition to the thrust of the needle 59,a face 62 positioned at an acute angle to the work-engaging surface 69on the work-support member, the intersection of said work-engagingsurface 69 and said face 62 forming a ridge 64 with an apex, the line ofwhich intersects the path of the curved needle 5% and with an aperture65 formed between said work-engaging surface 60 and said face 62 topermit the passage of said needle 59.

The presser foot 58 is provided with a portion having a concavecurvature 66 substantially conforming to the configuration of thebulging last supported portion of a shoe upper, said concave portionacting to engage the bulging portion of the upper and to clamp theinsole firmly against the work-engaging surface 60 of the work supportmember 56. The presser foot has an aperture 67 therein, positioned tointersect the concave portion of the presser foot in alignment with theaperture 65 in the work support member 56, to permit the passage of thecurved needle 50 and to guide the insertion of the stitches through thepresser foot 58 through the bulging upper and into the channel of theinsole. The presser foot is also provided with a lip 68 adapted toengage in the crease between a welt 42 and the bulging portion of anupper 26, in the case of a Goodyear welt shoe, to guide the spacing ofthe stitches relative to the crease, thereby to insure that the stitchesof the seam will be inserted at a substantially uniform distance fromthe said crease. In the case of a non-welt shoe the concave curvature 66is sufiicient to guide the shoe so long as the angle of the shoe bottomis maintained uniformly.

T 0 insert a lockstitch seam by means of the improved machine describedhereinabove, the operator will present the shoe to the machine in theposition illustrated in FIG. 2 and after locating the shoe on the worksupport 56 with the ridge 64- within the channel between a rib 69 (seeFIG. 6) and the main body of a ribbed insole 20 and a clamping the shoefirmly in position by means of the presser foot, will guide the shoewith relation to the stitch forming instrumentalities in such manner asto maintain the operating point of the needle 50 at a uniform distancefrom the welt, in the case of a Goodyear welt shoe (FIG. 2) or anangular break line of the upper about the shoe bottom, in the case of anon-welt shoe (FIG. 4). By thus guiding the shoe, the needle 50 will becaused to insert the stitches of the seam diagonally through the bu gingportion of the lasted upper, through the insole, and into the base ofthe channel in the insole.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate results obtained with the use of the improvedsewing machine, described hereinabove, in the manufacture of flat lastedshoes with cement attached outsoles. In this construction the upper 26is temporarily lasted to a rib or lip provided by a detachable strip 74,such as adhesive tape, attached to the margin of the insole 29 placed onthe bottom of the last 22.

After the lasting of the upper, a seam 48 is laid, in a manner similarto that described above, in the channel between the lip or strip 74 andthe tread surface of the insole, the stitches of the seam passingthrough the edge of the insole and through the portion of the upperwhich overlies the edge face of the insole. After sewing the seam 48,the strip 74 may be removed, as shown by the broken lines in FIG. 4, andthe shoe thereafter completed in accordance with standard procedures byattaching an outsole 78 as shown in FIG. 5.

The nature and scope of the invention having been described, what weclaim as new and desire to secure by 1 Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. A machine for sewing together lasted shoe uppers and ribbed insoles,said machine having stitch forming 4 devices including a curved hookneedle and a work support member to engage a stitch receiving channelbetween the rib and the main body of the insole, said support membercomprising a work-engaging surface disposed to act in opposition to thethrust of the needle and a face positioned at an acute angle to saidWork-engaging surface, the intersection of said work-engaging surfaceand said face forming a ridge, the line of which intersects the normalsewing path of the curved needle, and having a needle confining aperturein line with said ridge to permit the passage of said needle.

2. A machine for sewing together lasted shoe uppers and ribbed insoles,said machine having stitch forming devices including a curved hookneedle, a work support member to engage a stitch receiving channelbetween the rib and the main body of the insole, said support memberhaving a work-engaging surface disposed to act in opposition to thethrust of the needle and a face positioned at an acute angle to saidwork-engaging surface, the intersection of said work-engaging surfaceand said face forming a ridge, the line of which intersects the normalsewing path of the curved needle, and having a needle confining aperturein line with said ridge to permit the passage of said needle, and apresser foot formed with a concave portion conforming to theconfiguration of the bulging last supported portion of the shoe upper,said concave portion acting to engage said bulging portion of the upperand thereby'clamp the insole against he work-engaging surface.

3. A machine for sewing together lasted Goodyear welt shoe uppers andribbed insoles, said machine having stitch-forming devices including acurved hook needle, a work support member to engage a stitch receivingchannel between the rib and the main body of the insole, said supportmember having a work-engaging surface disposed to act in opposition tothe thrust of the needle and a face positioned at an acute angle to saidWork-engaging sur face, the intersection of said work-engaging surfaceand said face forming a ridge, the line of which intersects the normalsewing path of the curved needle, and having a needle confining aperturein line with said ridge to permit the passage of said needle, and apresser foot formed with a concave portion conforming to theconfiguration of the bulging last supported portion of the shoe upper,said concave portion acting to engage said bulging portion of the upperand thereby clamp the insole against the said work-engaging surface, andsaid presser foot having a lip adapted to engage within a crease betweenthe welt of the shoe and the bulging upper to guide the spacing of thestitches relative to the Welt.

References Cited in the file of this patent Ashworth July 7, 1953

